Palmer Hurts Left Knee, Taken Off Field
Sunday, January 8, 2006 5:01 PM EST
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer hurt his left knee when he was tackled on his first pass Sunday in Cincinnati's playoff game against Pittsburgh.
Palmer stood in the pocket for an extra second, giving him time to complete a 66-yard pass to Chris Henry — the longest pass completion in Bengals playoff history. Nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen hit Palmer's leg just as he released the pass, causing it to bow inward at the knee.
Palmer hit the ground and stayed down for several minutes while the medical staff looked at his knee. His face was downcast as he was taken off the field on a cart for evaluation.
Backup Jon Kitna took over for Palmer.
Six plays later, Henry went down with an undisclosed injury.
Palmer made the Pro Bowl in only his second season as a starter, leading the NFL in touchdowns and completion percentage. He started all 16 games this season, playing sparingly in the final regular season game at Kansas City because of was coming off a strained groin.